Gash in paint

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tankinbeans
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Gash in paint

Post by tankinbeans »

Hello all of you happy people! I have a quick question for you guys. The other day I was driving home and a rock about 2.5 in. in diameter bounced off my roof. :( At first I thought it was going to take out my windshield because it was kicked up by a semi and was flying towards my face a pretty decent clip. The gash is maybe a quarter of an inch long. So it's not bad, but pretty annoying all the same. There is a minor dent underneath it, but again nothing terrible.

My question for you is to figure out how I can care for this gash, I think it went down to the primer, until I can get it fixed? Should I just apply a couple of coats of wax, localized to the area of the gash? Or should I find out who can fix it for cheap?
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Shadow
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Re: Gash in paint

Post by Shadow »

I'd buy a small bottle of touch-up paint and do a nice job filling it in. If it still looked like crap and it bothered me, then I'd have a body shop fix it. And in the meantime, at least my amateur touch-up job would protect the panel from forming rust.
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tankinbeans
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Re: Gash in paint

Post by tankinbeans »

Shadow wrote:I'd buy a small bottle of touch-up paint and do a nice job filling it in. If it still looked like crap and it bothered me, then I'd have a body shop fix it. And in the meantime, at least my amateur touch-up job would protect the panel from forming rust.
Would this involve sanding? Is there such a thing as a touch up clear-coat to go over topof the touch up paint, or is it included in the paint? Since this is on the top of the car it won't be too noticable since you have to look for it already. I'm primarily worried about rust.
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Shadow
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Re: Gash in paint

Post by Shadow »

tankinbeans wrote:
Shadow wrote:I'd buy a small bottle of touch-up paint and do a nice job filling it in. If it still looked like crap and it bothered me, then I'd have a body shop fix it. And in the meantime, at least my amateur touch-up job would protect the panel from forming rust.
Would this involve sanding? Is there such a thing as a touch up clear-coat to go over topof the touch up paint, or is it included in the paint? Since this is on the top of the car it won't be too noticable since you have to look for it already. I'm primarily worried about rust.
I really don't know. I'm not too good at paint touch-ups. But look at it this way--if you get some paint on top of the gash, at the very least it is protected.

Do some research on the Internet. I've heard good things about Dr. Colorchip, but I've never used the product. I'm not sure if it would work with a gash like you've described.
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Rope-Pusher
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Re: Gash in paint

Post by Rope-Pusher »

Your gash ain't nothin' but trash
Your gash ain't nothin' but trash
Your gash ain't nothin' but trash
So there ain't no need in your hangin' around
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kayubassist
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Re: Gash in paint

Post by kayubassist »

When I had a rock chip about an inch long down to the metal on the hood of my car,
I just bought touch up paint and clear coat from dealer and filled the gash and called it a day.
2 coats of paint and 1 coat of clear coat. and wait a long time between coats, maybe 1-2 hours.
I was impatient and did the second coat after half an hour wait, everything was a mess so I removed the touch up paint with nail polish remover and started over.

and yes, there is a touch up clear coat that you apply on top of the touch up paint.
However, I think clear coat makes the imperfection stand out more unless done correctly.

I asked a professional detailer in my neighbourhood how he would do it,

he said, he would fill the gash with touch up paint with a fine brush. (takes a lot of time, he wouldn't use the pen-type since the tip is too thick)
apply clear coat, wet sand it, and then do the usual polishing and waxing as detailers do.

as long as it doesn't rust, it should be fine. I was devastated after I found about the gash but after a month or so it was nothing to me
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tankinbeans
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Re: Gash in paint

Post by tankinbeans »

kayubassist wrote:When I had a rock chip about an inch long down to the metal on the hood of my car,
I just bought touch up paint and clear coat from dealer and filled the gash and called it a day.
2 coats of paint and 1 coat of clear coat. and wait a long time between coats, maybe 1-2 hours.
I was impatient and did the second coat after half an hour wait, everything was a mess so I removed the touch up paint with nail polish remover and started over.

and yes, there is a touch up clear coat that you apply on top of the touch up paint.
However, I think clear coat makes the imperfection stand out more unless done correctly.

I asked a professional detailer in my neighbourhood how he would do it,

he said, he would fill the gash with touch up paint with a fine brush. (takes a lot of time, he wouldn't use the pen-type since the tip is too thick)
apply clear coat, wet sand it, and then do the usual polishing and waxing as detailers do.

as long as it doesn't rust, it should be fine. I was devastated after I found about the gash but after a month or so it was nothing to me
That's what I needed to know. Perfect won't be the enemy of the good, since rust is my main thing to avoid. The minor bit isn't too noticeable since it's on the roof, hence a minor imperfection won't bug me too much. In the end I drive a Kia, and don't expect it to be completely flawless, but I do try to nip problems in the bud before they grow and get poopy.
17 Mazda6 Touring
18 Mazda3 iSport
InlinePaul wrote:The driving force of new fangled features to sell more cars [is to] cater to the masses' abject laziness!
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